


Brevity

by WhiskeyDix (Zibomotua)



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Magical Realism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 21:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14656977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zibomotua/pseuds/WhiskeyDix
Summary: Geno has a curse. One which flares up and hurts everyone around him if he loses control of his emotions. Luckily, it was discovered by the team witch early before it could do any real damage. Unluckily, even though she can repress it some, she cannot break it.Which is why Geno finds himself standing outside the small cottage of an unknown witch on a warm Tuesday afternoon.





	Brevity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CloudCover (RainyForecast)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainyForecast/gifts).



> written for the 3-3 flash exchange. hope you like it!

Geno has a curse. One which flares up and hurts everyone around him if he loses control of his emotions. Luckily, it was discovered by the team witch early before it could do any real damage. Unluckily, even though she can repress it some, she cannot break it. 

 

Which is why Geno finds himself standing outside the small cottage of an unknown witch on a warm Tuesday afternoon.He double checks the address on the building with the card the team witch gave him before knocking with the brass door knocker. A handsome man answers the door to Geno’s shock. He’s shorter than Geno, but really who isn't. He has striking eyes and Geno loses himself in them for a second.

 

“Can I help you?” the man asks slow and carefully.

 

“Yes. Sorry. Deleighlah gave me your card.” Geno hands over the business card. “Have curse hope you can break. Will pay whatever you ask.”

 

The man looks him up and down and smiles brightly. “Yes, I can see. Quite a bad curse for a professional hockey player. That can do a lot of damage. Please come in.”

 

Geno tries to keep his mouth from gaping. how did he know who he was?

 

“My name is Sidney but please call me Sid. And no, I don't actually know who you are, I can just read in your aura that you play hockey.”

 

Geno puts his hand out “Evgeni Malkin. You can call me Geno. Play for Pittsburgh.”

 

Sid shakes it firmly. “I figured. Lets see that curse.” 

 

Sid sits Geno down and explains the curse lies in his back. Usually the witch needs to know what school of magic the caster belongs to in order to break it but this one seems to have multiple. Sid promises he can still break it with time and patience. It also takes a lot of contact, Geno learns as Sidney runs his hands across Geno’s shoulders. It feels really good at first, but then Sidney pulls and it feels like he's trying to take Geno's skin with him. 

 

“ _ fucking asshole _ !” Geno swears in Russian before catching himself, “That's a bitch!”

 

“Yea, that's one hell of a curse. We'll have to set you up for repeated visits. I'll need to peel it off layer by layer.” 

 

Sid is quiet but friendly. He smiles a lot for a witch. He sets up a schedule where Geno comes to visit as often as he can outside of his obligations to the team.

 

Everyday, Sid works on his shoulders in massage like motions. With each sweep of Sids hands, Geno swears he feels a little brighter, like a weakness he didn't know he had was being pulled from his skin by Sid’s artful fingers. He slips back into Russian again without realizing. “ _ Those are some magical fingers. _ ”

 

Sid chuckles.

 

Geno's glad that he's sitting in a chair with his back to Sid as a blush creeps up his neck. There's something wonderful about this man and Geno suspects it has nothing to do with magic.

 

They spend most of their time at Sid's chatting. Geno learns that Sid doesn't belong to a particular school of magic and most of his craft just comes naturally. Because of this, he's able to break the most complex of curses but no respectable establishment will hire someone without a focus. They are considered uneducated, wild and unpredictable. 

 

“How this true? Deleighlah trust you very much to send me here. She respect you and so do I.”

 

Sid smiles softly “Thanks, I'm really glad. I want you to feel comfortable. Deleighlah and I went to college together before I dropped out. She's very dear to me.”

 

Geno feels an unwanted twinge of jealousy. He barely knows this man, but the idea of imagining him linked romantically with anyone upsets Geno. He tries to breathe and hopes Sid assumes its just a slight bit of pain from the curse breaking.

 

Geno, in return tells Sid about the team and how well everyone tends to get along and brings back stories from the day’s pranks. 

 

“Then Kuni, he take the towel to the face!” Geno laughs one afternoon with his head down on the table, large broad shoulders heaving with laughter.

 

“The one filled with shaving cream?!” Sid elates as he squeezes Geno's bouncing shoulder “hold still, you big goof!”

 

“Yes!” Geno tries to stop laughing but he knows his giggling isn't helping him sit any stiller. 

 

The curse takes longer to break than Sid predicted and Geno starts to get frustrated. To add to the flames, Deleighlah has been out of the office so often, with her wife’s pregnancy, that she hasn’t been able to keep it fully repressed. They had assumed with Sid’s work, the curse would remain dormant.

 

During their game with the Jets, Geno doesn't even remember what happened but he felt the magic surge after a bad play sent him into the boards. He looks up to see Haglin being taken to the locker room for concussion protocol.

 

Its rough, feeling responsible for hurting a teammate. Geno hides away at home that night and misses his appointment with Sid. He texts away an apology and mopes on his couch watching highlights and more game tape. 

 

Geno knows better. He needs to double down on his sessions with Sid, not skip them. But they're about to go on a three game road trip which leaves more time before the curse can be broken. Deleighlah can't come on this road trip either. Her wife is due to give birth any day now.

 

Geno turns off the tv and sits up. He's come up with an idea. Sid should come with them on their road trip! He can suppress the curse and work on breaking it! He jumps up and calls Sid.

 

“Hello? Geno? It’s almost midnight” Sid drawls into the phone. It takes some convincing, but finally Sid agrees to the trip. As a witch, he doesn’t get a chance to get out often so Geno promises they will get out on the off time and see the sights. 

 

It's a so so night, losing in overtime. Sid sits on the hotel bed stradling over Geno on his stomach. While Sid is pressing down on his shoulder blades Geno learns a crucial fact about Sidney.

 

“You don't know hockey?!” 

 

“No. I mean, I've watched it on TV, but this was my first game in person. I don't even know the rules outside put the puck in the other net.”

 

“I’m-ow” Sid mutters an apology “I'm take you skate when we get back. Promise. Teach you all the rules.”

 

Sid stops for a second. Geno cant see his expression because of their position and starts to worry hes gone too far with his last statement.

 

“I’d like that very much” Sid says softly right before pressing his palm hard into Geno's left shoulder blade and Geno feels a white hot searing pain before sweet sweet relief.

 

“I think that's it...Geno your curse is gone!”

 

Geno rolls over and springs up to throw his arms around Sid. Sid wraps his arms around Geno just as tightly. Sid feels warm and smells like home. Geno knows he’s so far gone for this man and maybe now that the curse is broken, he can tell Sidney. He was so worried about their Client/patient relationship to even think about it before.

 

“Good! We go spend last day tomorrow enjoy LA. See star’s walk. Maybe famous houses!”

 

Sid blushes, but Genos gotten used to Sidney's smiles. This one means he's excited. “That would be a blast!”

 

The star’s walk is nice. Sid pulls up all these little facts about the area on his phone and reads them off to Geno as they walk around the crowded streets. Geno wishes this was a real date. He'd hold Sidney's hand and buy him an ice cream. Shit geno would do anything for Sidney's sweet smile. He's so fucked.

 

It’s a good win against The Kings that night. Geno is on fire with a good ole’ gordie howe hat trick. The boys are just as happy that Geno's curse is broken. When Sidney comes in the dressing room, they demand he come out for a few drinks with them.

 

Geno's feeling great. Better than great. He thinks someone's been grabbing him extra strong drinks because he should not feel this great after so little to drink but he could care less. He's speaking easy and there's a flushed Sid pressed up against him in the overstuffed booth. 

 

Sidney's smiling at him and geno's unsure what he did to deserve that beautiful set of teeth flashed in his direction. He leans over and goes to ask what's worth smiling about when instead, his brain decides it's better to just say “ _ God, you're so beautiful _ ”

 

Geno immediately freezes before he realized he said it in Russian and relaxes.  

 

Sids still smiling and Kuni is now throwing bread at them. “stop whispering Russian secrets to you're poor curse breaker! He doesn't want to smell your rank breath!”

 

They had back to their hotel and Sidney says goodnight to Geno before heading to his room in a different wing. Geno watches him walk away when suddenly Sidney stops and turns around. He seems quiet and serious, like he’s contemplating what car to buy. He’s staring straight at Geno as he walks back, pushing Geno into the elevator he had just hailed. 

 

Geno waits for the doors to close before opening his mouth to ask. 

 

Sidney just cuts him off by putting his hands on Geno’s shoulders. “You know, witches can speak all languages, right?” 

 

Before Geno has a chance to freak out, Sidney’s lips are on his and they’re kissing. Geno kisses back with a new found sobriety and wraps his arms around Sidney’s waist. They get interrupted by the ding of the elevator and separate. Geno smiles down at Sidney and threads their fingers together. “Come with me”

 

Sidney looks up, breathless and nods. They walk briskly down the hall and Sidney uses his magic to open the door before Geno has even reached for his key card. Sid pulls him inside and Geno hears the door close behind them. Sid then proceeds to throw Geno onto the bed and straddles him. “ God, Geno. Everytime I worked on your back, I thought about this.”

 

Geno can definitely get on board with this. He lets his hands roam down and grab firmly at Sid’s ass. “Thought about getting my hands on this for a while now” 

 

They make out for a bit until Geno rolls them over to get a better angle and slot their legs together. Sid gasps and bites at Geno’s neck. Geno pushes Sid back to get their lips together as he grinds down, chasing those gasps Sid keeps making.

 

A knock at the door scares both of them. Geno hears Tanger’s accented voice on the other side “Hey, Geno. Did you pass out? I ran out of toothpaste. Hey!” 

 

They look at each other and break out in a silent grin. They continue kissing, completely ignoring the oblivious French Canadian. Geno has a feeling this is going to be good. 


End file.
